Snapchat Stories vs. Instagram Stories: Which One is More Effective for Your Brand?

Instagram stories? Yes, you read that correctly. Snapchat has recently found themselves having to compete with Instagram when they launched their stories. Now, you’re probably questioning yourself which platform would be better for your brand. Fear not my friends! Here you will find 4 points about Snapchat Stories and Instagram Stories to help you decide, which one is better for you.

How Content is Posted

Snapchat and Instagram are quite different when it comes to how your content is being posted. Snapchat shares your content on a single timeline, which is made up of 24 hours worth of snaps that have been shared. Once the snap is 24 hours old, your followers can no longer view your content. Now, Instagram stories also have a 24 expiration, but with Instagram you get to share your content through two different sections within the app: stories and the Instagram timeline. Having the ability to share the content posted on your story on your feed, it will give your followers the chance to see what they might have missed when you posted your story.

How Hashtags Work

Hashtags have become a very useful tool in social media, it helps people connect through topical themes. On Snapchat, a hashtag is just another character in your text chat. Since Snapchat does not have an enable hashtag function, it is useless. The only way you’ll be able to reach out to a larger audience other than your followers, would be to submit a snap to the ‘Live Stories’ and wait to see if your snap was chosen to be posted for every single Snapchat user to see. Instagram focuses on using hashtags to help your content reach more people within the app, but unfortunately Instagram does not have a hashtag feature for their stories.

Filters

Snapchat and Instagram stories both provide filters that you can add to your content. Snapchat has quite the array of filters: For instance, Snapchat has Face-Mapping filters, Motion filters, image filters, stickers, text and drawing features to add a little flair to your daily snaps. Snapchat also has Geo-filters, they are filters that appear at certain locations or cities you are currently in. Snapchat also allows you to use Geo- filters to advertise your brand (for a fee, of course.) at a certain event or location to reach to a larger audience. Unlike Snapchat, Instagram stories currently feature image filters for your stories, along with text and drawing features.

Target Market

Instagram and Snapchat are very different when it comes to how your content is viewed and shared. On one hand, one can be more exclusive, while the other is capable of reaching a larger audience. On Instagram, with the help of hashtags you are able to market your brand and have a larger reach to users who do not follow you. Posting an image will attract interested users to your profile and this is where the stories come in. With the story feature, your story it not only post on the top of the Instagram home feed of your followers, but if a user clicks your profile image it directs them to your story. This is where Snapchat is a very different. Since snapchat does not allow you to use hashtags to reach a bigger audience, causing your audience to be limited since your snaps are only being shared to your followers and your followers alone.

Regardless if you want your content to be more exclusive, or if you want your content to reach a larger audience, Snapchat and Instagram are great platforms to help you reach your audiences effectively.